Second Candidate Interview With Bonnie Olt

Our second interview will be posted exactly as our first. I will cut and paste the answers verbatim, typo's (if applicable) and all.

I thank Ms. Olt for responding in a timely matter. Just for the record, she responded in the same amount of time as Mr. Lynch.

Ms. Olt is married and has two children ages 4 and 6. She and her husband Adam are active in the MRC.

Marlton Needs Sports Fields: Explain why you think you are a good candidate for council and what do you see as the biggest challenges facing Evesham?

BONNIE OLT:
I am the best candidate for council because I bring something to the table. I am a homegrown product of Evesham. My family has been residents since1932. My husband, Adam, and I grew up on the same road and have since built a home and are raising our two children on the same road. I have been a member of the Board of Education for 9 years, and President of the Board for the last 3 years. I have met people with diverse interests throughout the town through my experiences on the Board of Education and as a member of the Recreation Advisory Committee.

I have an understanding of state processes and procedures, especially mandates that the state does not fund. I have been involved in personnel issues, budgetary issues, negotiations and contracts. I comprehend costs, financial repercussions of actions and the need to get quality work for quality cost.

I am proactive; I break down issues and work on solving them, as evident from the lawsuit that the School District filed against the Department of Education for failing to follow its own formula for funding education. Evesham was voted the Best School District in South Jersey this year. People move to Evesham for our schools; the exceptional quality of education that Evesham offers is the main mechanism driving property values.

I truly care about all members of this community, as is apparent from the time I have dedicated to community service.

I am proud to live in Evesham. This is my hometown; my roots are here and my future is here. I take the good and make it better, and I want to continue to make Evesham a wonderful place to live.The issues that are facing this town are property taxes, recreation issues, and communication. The communication issue is two-fold. The first part is getting information, such as council minutes, including work session items, out to the residents. The second part is increasing communication among the major entities in town, such as Rec Council, EMUA, Board of Education, etc. People need to be more informed. One of the ways I propose to do this is to initiate an electronic newsletter that is sent monthly or bimonthly, depending on the need.

MNSF: With regard to Marlton Recreation and our quest for new fields, what ideas do you have for funding the construction of new fields and where would you like to see them built?

OLT:
First, I would like to see a portion of the 3¢ dedicated tax for recreation and open space go into field maintenance and in the future construction of new fields. Maintenance is the priority. Council focused open space funds on purchasing land before developers could. Now we can focus a good portion of those dollars on developing, maintaining and upgrading the land and fields we have.

We have to be creative through grants and corporate partnerships to supplement our open space tax. The entities in town that share an interest in recreation need to come together and communicate to devise a maintenance plan that keeps fields in better condition longer. Evesham is a township of toddlers to seniors, all with recreational needs of varying demands. We need to move toward satisfying everyone we can within our budget.

MNSF: A major issue facing the township is the annual drain on our budget by theIndian Springs Golf Course and clubhouse. What would be the course of action you will take to lessen the financial burden?

OLT:
I do not know all of the information regarding the Golf Course, and don’t believe that all of the information has been returned based on privatizing the management and caterer. Most of what I know I have read in the local papers. In the past the Golf course and clubhouse was a drain on our budget, since the privatization of the management and caterer the golfcourse has been self-sustaining and is in fact is operating $300k in the black. From what I understand, the contracts with the management and caterer are set up to protect the township. This is one area that I think needs strict supervision.

That concludes the interview. I hope to conduct at least one more prior to election day. I thank Ms. Olt for taking the time to participate in this forum.